


a drink and a dance

by sweetpandemonium



Series: my heart (is safe with you) [3]
Category: Shadowhunters (TV)
Genre: First Meetings, ME - Freeform, Magnus Bane is the High Warlock of Brooklyn, Oops, a/b/o dynamics are not a big part of this, alec is impressed as fuck, also guess who knows nothing about alcohol?, because i'm a slut for different points of view, ended awkwardly, i'm not good at fight scenes, magnus tried to impress alec, one chapter for each pov, or dancing scenes, they meet at pandemonium, this is what i get for being an uncool virgin
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-05 19:58:35
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 5,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11020497
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/sweetpandemonium/pseuds/sweetpandemonium
Summary: Magnus and Alec meet. Sparks fly. (A little too literally at first.)





	1. alec pov

**Author's Note:**

> disclaimer: none of the characters/scenery/worldbuilding you recognize is mine  
> okay but I’m terrible at fight scenes I’m sorry. also I know nothing about alcohol. I tried to do research, but it’s just… you can tell I looked this shit up, you know?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Alec's a Rebel™

 

 

 

Alec couldn’t believe he was doing this.

He actually couldn’t believe he was fucking doing this. And without Izzy or his parabatai cajoling him along, either. He was just doing it.

_Fuck._

He was at a club. By himself. Not for a mission, not for his siblings, just…

At a club. Alec.

Alone.

Despite the lights being bright and colorful, the room seemed dim and almost smoky. People were dancing and laughing, the music was playing loud and clear.

It was a dull roar of sensations and colors and noises, surrounding Alec and almost overwhelming him.

He had no idea why he’d thought this was a good idea.

He’d just been… frustrated.

Maryse had been on his ass about some stupid shit Jace had pulled, and Jace had been no help _whatsoever,_ abandoning him to her rage at the first chance. Izzy had been busy with one of her boyfriends– not that Alec had any problem with that, but he kind of wished he could have talked to her. (Even if that was selfish, because _he_ was the older brother and she shouldn’t have to always be there.) And Robert was still in Idris, because he was a cheating bastard and nor Alec or Maryse wanted to see him right now.

Yeah, this was what Alec’s life had come to. Calling his parents by their first names.

They didn’t even know he was gay, and he was still a huge disappointment.

When he’d been born, their eldest son, an _alpha,_ they’d been so happy. So pleased with themselves. Like they’d made a perfect heir.

And Alec tried to live up to their expectations.

But he didn’t. Of course.

He was never quite as strong as Jace, as smart as Izzy. Never as fast as them, never as skilled. He was never the perfect son, never the perfect alpha.

Alphas weren’t considered _better,_ but _Alec_ was supposed to be. _Alec_ was the eldest Lightwood son, the heir. The future leader.

But no matter how hard he tried, Jace always was the hero. He always defeated more demons, saved more people, got with more girls. (Not that Alec wanted to get with girls.)

But Jace was their ideal son.

Beta or not, adopted or not, he was who they preferred.

A part of Alec wanted to resent him for that.

But he couldn’t.

Jace was his best friend. His brother. It wasn’t really his fault anyway, even if he was an arrogant toerag sometimes.

But just then, less than hour ago, Alec was just _done._ He was angry, and frustrated, and so _sick and tired_ of being compared to his siblings and coming up short, of suppressing and ignoring everything he’d ever wanted, of Jace being selfish and Izzy avoiding them because of how fucked up their family was, and he just…

He wanted to let off some steam.

And he thought of Jace, always blowing things off to fuck around at clubs, and he thought of his mother, cold and icy, telling him what a disappointment he was, and he thought, _you know what? I’ll show you a fucking disappointment._

So here he was, instead of reading a book or shooting things like he normally might, at Pandemonium.

Pandemonium, a nightclub that was owned by a warlock. And not just any warlock, the High Warlock of Brooklyn.

Sounded a bit pretentious, but the guy had probably earned the title somehow.

And he also, apparently, owned a nightclub.

That Alec was now at.

Alone.

He cursed under his breath. His thoughts were getting a bit circular.

Alec wasn’t really sure what he’d been planning. He certainly wasn’t about to get hammered.

He wasn’t even dressed up much. He’d thrown on a leather jacker over his plain black shirt, and that’s pretty much it.

But now, standing inside Pandemonium, watching the people dance carelessly and freely, watching people drink and laugh and talk–

Alec sighed, but he actually felt a little… excited. Yeah, he was gonna do this.

He slipped further into the crowd, wondering if he should try to dance. He was already swaying a little to the music.

He ordered a drink from the bar– simple and non-alcoholic– and sat on the stool, alone and awkward. The music thrummed in his ears, in his ribcage. It was actually kind of… enjoyable.

He surveyed the club as if he was on a mission. He was glamoured, he had a minimal amount of weapons, and he felt almost _bare._

And then something caught his eye.

One man stood out on the dance floor. He was dancing freely, wildly, like no one was watching. It was a stunning dance that easily drew people’s attention, fluid and balanced and full of flare. And he was _beautiful._

He had dark, spiked up hair, tipped with vivid red. He was dressed in blue and gold silks, his shirt ridiculously low-cut, several gold necklaces resting against his bare chest. His muscular, slightly sweaty, bare chest. His hands moved in a hypnotizing manner, ring-clad fingers moving with a certain elegance. He had dark, kohl-lined eyes that glittered in the lights of the club, red eyeshadow accenting them nicely. His caramel skin was flushed and slightly sweaty, as if he’d been dancing for quite some time now.

Yeah, he was stunning. Alec might’ve been drooling a little.

He wasn’t the only one, either. Plenty of people seemed attracted to him, like moths to a flame.

And… the man didn’t seem to notice. He just kept dancing, apparently, enjoying himself.

That was… pretty cool. Alec wished he that kind of confidence.

And then the man’s gaze met his. Just for a moment. Alec’s eyes widened and he flushed, looking away.

Meaning he missed the man’s smile.

Alec felt a little stupid. This was his first time at a club. _Ever._ And of course, the first handsome guy he sees is the unattainably gorgeous one that everybody wants, the guy who would never look _twice_ at someone like Alec.

He stared down at his drink, embarrassed.

There was a movement next to him. And he looked up just in time to see Mr. Gorgeous slide into the stool next to him and call the bartender over.

Alec blinked, taking a quick gulp of his drink.

He glanced at Mr. Gorgeous for a second, only to find Mr. Gorgeous was looking right back at him, pink lips tilted up in a smile.

Alec quickly looked back at his drink. It was just a coincidence, Mr. Gorgeous just happened to be looking in his direction, it was just a coincidence–

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” Mr. Gorgeous said. “First time clubbing?”

“That obvious?” Alec asked, ducking his head.

Mr. Gorgeous gave an easy smile. “Not too obvious,” he said, “I’m just observant.”

“Uh, I’m Alec,” Alec said. He internally cursed at his own awkwardness, but he was pretty sure you were supposed to introduce yourself in this kind of situation.

“Magnus,” Mr. Gorgeous said, smiling. He held out a hand, elbow pressed to the counter.

Alec took it, finding himself grinning back.

“Alec,” Mr. Gorgeo– _Magnus_ mused. “Short for Alexander?”

“Yeah,” Alec blinked. His brow furrowed for a moment. “Wait, Magnus _Bane_?”

Magnus Bane, High Warlock of Brooklyn, owner of this club, downworlder… _that_ Magnus Bane?

Very gorgeous, and apparently _… interested_ Magnus Bane?

Magnus’s eyebrow raised, smile fading, and he drew his hand back almost defensively. “Yes…”

Alec bit his lip. “You look very nice,” he offered.

Magnus seemed to bite back a smile. “Thank you,” he said graciously. “Care for a dance?”

He elegantly rose from the chair, holding out a hand again.

Alec looked down at his hand. The small assortment of rings on long, graceful fingers, the elegant curve of his hand, reaching out. A very small, almost unnoticeable blue spark or two jumped between them. Alec bit his lip, smiling, and took it.

“Yeah,” he said, a little shyly despite himself.

Magnus smiled back, tugging him out of his seat and towards the dance floor.

He pulled him out into the throng of people, gently guiding Alec’s hands to his hips.

Alec blushed, hands jerking away like he’d been burned.

Magnus laughed. “I take it you haven’t done this before?”

“No,” Alec admitted sheepishly.

“Follow my lead,” Magnus said, wiggling his eyebrows. It was a silly gesture, but Alec found himself laughing with him.

He didn’t take Alec’s hands again– Alec wasn’t sure if he was relieved or not– but he demonstrated a few moves, grinning, then gestured for Alec to copy him.

Alec hesitated.

“Don’t worry,” Magnus said, “No one’s watching!”

Alec was about to argue that _actually,_ everyone was watching, because Magnus was clearly the most gorgeous person in here _and_ he apparently owned the club, only to glance around and see… Magnus was right. Now that Magnus had chosen a dance partner, they weren’t sparing either of them a glance– other than the occasional envious glare, that is.

This was all so surreal.

Not only was there the initial freakiness of Alec’s presence here at all, but now he was here _with a_ gorgeous man. A gorgeous downworlder man. A gorgeous downworlder man who was _interested in Alec._

It was surreal, it was strange, it was… fantastic.

Magnus gave him an encouraging smile.

So Alec… danced.

And he actually enjoyed himself.

He actually wasn’t bad at it, once he got the hang of it. He had good balance, and it wasn’t unlike fighting– except this was for _fun._ And dancing with Magnus _was_ fun.

Magnus was much more graceful than Alec, but he didn’t seem to mind helping Alec when he flailed or tripped– although that wasn’t often. And he was _beautiful_ – why in the world he’d chosen Alec still boggled his mind.

Alec was living in the moment. He wasn’t thinking about what his parents would say, he wasn’t thinking about how awkward this could end. He was just having fun.

It was a nice feeling.

So naturally, of _fucking course,_ the moment was interrupted by Alec’s stupid job.

A demon bursts through the crowd– god knows where it came from– and people are screaming, running away, and Alec sighs. Because of course.

And beside him, Magnus does the same. He looked very irritated– which, _okay,_ apparently he’s hot no matter how angry he looks– and he glances at Alec, like he’s surprised that he’s still there.

Alec only had a seraph blade on him and a stele– he hadn’t brought his bow– but it should be enough to deal with one demon.

There was another loud cacophony of roars. The ground shook a little.

Okay, five demons.

Magnus pushed up his sleeves. _Fuck,_ he had nice arms. Alec mentally hit himself, trying not to get distracted.

Alec unsheathed his seraph blade, starting towards the demons.

Magnus blinked in surprise, but summoned a swirl of magic around his hands anyway.

The battle went fast. With the lights still flashing and the music still playing, it seemed like a scene from a movie– Alec sliced at one of the demons, Magnus shot a wave of bright blue magic. The demon exploded even as Magnus disintegrated another, in sync with Alec stabbing it in the abdomen. Alec dodged the last one’s acidic spit, Magnus came closer and whirled his hands in an elaborate motion, sending a wave of powerful magic at another. It came so close to hitting Alec he could feel the heat of it on his side. But he didn’t even flinch, moving forward right along it and stabbing another demon easily, withdrawing his blade– which was dripping with ichor– and slicing through it again. They moved in perfect sync, and within what felt like only minutes, the demons were dead.

Alec sheathed his blade and looked back at Magnus. Somehow, there wasn’t a speck of ichor or dirt on his outfit.

Yeah, he was as stunning as ever.

The music stopped and the lights paused with a snap of Magnus’s fingers.

He walked forward, frowning, nudging one of the remaining corpses with his foot.

He looked up at Alec, and the frown melted away. He raised his eyebrows. “So… you’re a shadowhunter?” he asked, sounding amused.

Alec opened his mouth, then closed it again. He settled for nodding, feeling slightly bashful despite himself.

Magnus made a _hmm_ sound.

Alec shuffled his feet for a moment. “Uh, I can help clean up, if you want,” he said, gesturing towards the ichor and corpses.

Magnus shook his head, laughing softly. “It’s no trouble,” he said, waving a hand. The mess began to… clean itself up, slowly vanishing. There was still broken glass and such lying around, but all of the demonic mess was taken care of. “I’ll take care of the rest later.”

Alec blinked. Well, that was handy.

The crowd of people was all gone now, the staff having escorted them out before the fight even ended. Presumably, Pandemonium was now closed.

Magnus took a deep breath. “Well,” he said. “As exhilarating as that was, I think I need a drink.”

With that, he headed behind the bar, rifling through the shelves.

Alec stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure as of what to do.

Magnus glanced over at him, holding up a fancy looking bottle. “Want any, Alexander?”

Usually Alec didn’t really like being called by his full name, the way the syllables rolled of Magnus’s tongue was… nice.

“Uh, sure.” he said, wincing at how awkwardly it came out. Izzy would be laughing at him if she saw this.

Alec honestly didn’t know what to expect from there.

“What’ll it be?” Magnus asked, tossing the bottle about in an elaborate spinning fashion the way Alec had seen bartenders do with the…. metal canister things for cocktails. It was impressive for about ten seconds, before the bottle promptly crashed to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Magnus’s gaze dropped with it, and he was left staring at the pile of shards in a puddle of what was once some sort of fancy liquor, empty hand still raised.

“Hmm.” Magnus said, not looking up.

Alec bit his lip to contain a laugh.

Magnus glanced up at him, expression an odd mixture of amusement and embarrassment. “Maybe something else, then,” he said, waving a hand to clean up the mess. “Appletini? Strawberry daquiri? Whiskey?”

Alec walked to one of the barstools, slipping on. “Surprise me,” he said impulsively.

Magnus lit up. “Really?”

“Nothing too crazy,” Alec said quickly. “But, uh, I’ll try something new?”

Magnus beamed at him. “I’ve got just the thing!”

He retrieved two glasses from behind the counter, then leant back, looking at something behind the bar that Alec couldn’t see.

He expertly poured… something into each glass, then set one down in front of Alec with bright eyes. The other he set off to the side. They looked identical. He leant against the counter, looking for Alec’s reaction.

The glass was full of amber liquid– Alec hoped it wasn’t beer– and had a bunch of little bubbles in it. Alec had no idea what it was.

He hesitantly took his glass, and raised it to his lips. He took a sip.

Alec nearly choked on his drink, coughing slightly.

Magnus looked alarmed. “Are you alright?”

“Sorry,” Alec rasped. “That was just… more alcoholic than anticipated.”

“Don’t apologize,” Magnus said gently. “Do you want something non-alcoholic?”

Alec flushed. “No, no, it’s fine. It’s not like… I’ve never had it before.” Thanks to Jace. “I just wasn’t expecting it. It’s fine.”

It was, _really._

He took another sip.

Yeah, it was fine. Now that he was prepared for it, the slight burn of the alcohol was minimal and he found the flavor pleasant.

He looked up at Magnus. Magnus cleared his throat, picking up his own drink.

Alec hummed slightly. “What is this, anyway?” he asked, taking another sip.

“Hard cider,” Magnus replied. He shifted on his feet slightly.

Honestly, this was going much better than Alec had expected.

For one, he’d half expected Magnus to shove him out the door when he realized Alec was a shadowhunter. Not that Alec would’ve blamed him.

But he hadn’t. He’d offered him a drink. And now they were talking.

It was only a few minutes of awkward small talk before conversation really started to flow. Turns out, Magnus was… really easy to talk to.

He listened well, but he also actually shared. He didn’t make Alec feel uncomfortable or ignored or anything, he was just fun to be around. Alec genuinely enjoyed his company.

They spent _hours,_ just talking, drinking. Alec ended up switching back to club soda after a few drinks, leaving him pleasantly buzzed but not inhibited.

And it was great. It was like there was a heavy weight lifted from his shoulders, even if just for tonight.

(It helped that when Magnus smiled, Alec’s heart beat a little faster.)

And when he finally left, already after dark– he’d remembered that he should probably be back at the Institute before midnight, at least– he felt lighter then he’d felt in a long time.

He’d left with a slightly dopey smile on his face and a new contact on his phone.

 

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> so??? what do you think???? i'm not sure how i feel about this, and there are basically no a/b/o dynamics, but... we'll get to that, don't worry


	2. magnus pov

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Magnus has a day off. Sort of.

 

 

 

Between being the High Warlock of Brooklyn (although his actual “territory”, so-to-speak, was much larger than just Brooklyn) and the owner of a club that was a downworlder safe spot as well as popular with mundanes, Magnus was pretty busy.

So Magnus was having a day off.

Sort of.

I mean, he was still running the club and waiting for phone calls from any potential clients and making sure there were no incidents and updating the wards but–

Okay, so sue him, he wasn’t _really_ taking a day off. But he didn’t _need_ one, no matter what Catarina said. He was doing just fine!

Work was how he kept going. Yeah, he wasn’t all work no play, he just preferred to mix them rather than take stupid days off. He could dance at his own club, and that was enough freedom for him, thanks.

Usually, if he wanted some time off he’d disappear somewhere obscure for a few years. Go to the Alps, or Peru (ah, good old Peru) or the Mediterranean, or whatever. But he’d worked way too damn hard for this job to give it up for an extended vacation, and honestly, he didn’t need one anyway.

Really. He was _fine._

He walked to the dance floor, preening a little at the stares he attracted. He knew he was good looking, but it was nice to be appreciated. He’d actually put quite a bit of effort into this outfit.

Once Magnus started to dance, he relaxed a little. The tension in his shoulders eased.

He liked dancing. He was good at it. It was… freeing.

Plenty of people stared, but he ignored them. It was more fun to just move with the music, bat away attempts to pull him closer. He wasn’t here to fall into someone’s bed. He was here to have a little fun at work.

He spent quite a bit of time dancing, thankfully uninterrupted. And it was then Magnus spotted someone at the bar.

The man was tall, dark, and handsome– just Magnus’s type. He was looking around a little nervously, like he felt awkward and out of place. It was kind of cute, actually.

Magnus bit back a smile, but looked away anyway, deciding to ignore him for now. Tall, Dark, and Handsome was probably new to this. No need to scare away a customer. Magnus didn’t even know if he was interested. And besides, hadn’t he already decided he was keeping mostly to business?

But when he stole another glance over, TDH was staring. The second he saw Magnus looking at him, he flushed and looked away, taking a sip of what Magnus was pretty sure was club soda.

Adorable. Honestly.

Alright, screw it. Maybe he could spare a _little_ time to flirt with Tall, Dark, and Handsome. It wasn’t Magnus’s fault the man was unfairly gorgeous.

He slipped from the throng of people, sitting in the stool next to TDH and ordering a drink. Next to him, TDH seemed to almost choke on his drink.

Magnus took a sip of his cocktail– wow, he must remember to tip the bartender well– and looked over at TDH. Apparently, Tall, Dark, and Handsome had the same idea, because he glanced up at Magnus moments afterwards.

And then immediately looked back at his drink. Yeah, definitely a bit new.

“I don’t think I’ve seen you around here before,” Magnus said. “First time clubbing?”

Not his smoothest opener, but it would do.

“That obvious?” Tall, Dark, and Handsome asked, ducking his head.

Magus gave him what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “Not too obvious. I’m just observant.”

“Uh, I’m Alec,” TDH said. Magnus cheered internally. So he _was_ getting somewhere.

“Magnus,” he introduced himself in turn, holding out a hand.

Alec took it, giving him a slightly lopsided grin.

“Alec,” Magnus said thoughtfully. “Short for Alexander?”

“Yeah,” _Alexander_ – what a wonderful name, honestly– said. His brow furrowed. “Wait, Magnus _Bane_?”

“Yes…” Magnus said cautiously, unsure of whether him being recognized was a good thing or not. He squinted at Alexander slightly. Was he a downworlder?

 “You look very nice,” Alexander offered, biting his lip.

Magnus wondered how he knew about the downworld. He definitely wasn’t a vampire or a seelie. He could be a warlock, Magnus supposed, but… honestly, Alexander seemed more like a werewolf. The way he held himself, the glint in his eye, was familiar to most of the packs Magnus had gotten to know. Then again, maybe he was a mundane that had the Sight.

It was unlikely that he was a shadowhunter, given this was a downworlder club. Shadowhunters rarely lowered themselves to such establishments. Besides, most nights mundanes were allowed in Pandemonium as well, as it was so carefully policed. Also not the kind of people shadowhunters would want to interact with.

Alexander was too sweet for that anyway. Well, so far.

Magnus suppressed a smile. “Thank you,” he said graciously. “Care for a dance?”

He rose from the chair, offering his hand again.

Alexander looked down at his hand, smiling, and took it. “Yeah,” he said.

Magnus smiled back, tugging him out of his seat and towards the dance floor.

He pulled him onto the dance floor, gently guiding Alexander’s hands to his hips. They were pretty close for about five seconds before Alexander blushed, hands jerking away like he’d been burned.

(In that five seconds, Magnus absently noted that in the soup of smells, Magnus couldn't pick out his scent. But if there was any trouble, Magnus could easily kick his ass. But that was unlikely to be necessary, anyway.)

Magnus laughed, a little amused. “I take it you haven’t done this before?”

“No,” Alexander admitted. He looked a little embarrassed.

“Follow my lead,” Magnus said, wiggling his eyebrows.

He didn’t take Alexander’s hands again– he didn’t want to frighten him– but he demonstrated a few of his best moves, grinning, then gestured for Alexander to copy him.

Alexander hesitated.

“Don’t worry,” Magnus said, trying to reassure him, “No one’s watching!”

Alexander looked a bit conflicted, but he carefully copied what Magnus had done.

“A little less structure, a little more free-form,” Magnus suggested.

Alexander actually was a pretty good dancer once he got the hang of it. He rarely tripped or stumbled like Magnus had when he’d started off. Once he really got into it he was very good. The fluid movements definitely showed off his very nice body.

Alexander wasn’t quite as his level, but to be fair, Magnus had been practicing for over a hundred years.

It was actually fun, too– dancing with a pretty boy, not thinking about his responsibilities, just keeping a vague eye out for trouble and… enjoying himself.

So naturally, just fucking _naturally_ , it’s interrupted by a demon. He gets the signal that something’s wrong about ten seconds before the demon bursts through the crowd.

People are already screaming and running, and Magnus’s staff are– as they are so well paid to do– directing them out the best they can, making sure people get to safety. There were too many mundanes in the crowd tonight to risk a fight.

Magnus sighs, because _god damn it he liked Alexander._ And now he was probably outside with all the others, and Magnus was never going to see him again. Which was fine and all, but it was such a _wasted_ opportunity.

And then he glances beside him only to see– Alexander is still there. Looking very determined. Okay, brave werewolf. Or mundane.

His thoughts were interrupted by another loud cacophony of roars. The ground shook a little.

Five demons now. Great.

Magnus pushed up his sleeves. Alright, time to fight.

Beside him, Alec… unsheathed a glowing blue blade, starting towards the demons.

Magnus blinked. Huh. Tall, Dark, and Handsome was a shadowhunter. Joy.

He summoned a swirl of blue magic in his palms, readying himself.

The battle went fast. With the lights still flashing and the music still playing, it seemed like a scene from a movie– They blended together well, Alec’s bright blue seraph blade slicing through demons even as Magnus’s darker blue magic disintegrated them.

The most surprising part was how Alec fought _with_ him. He didn’t flinch away from his magic. He worked not around Magnus but with him, trusting Magnus not to hit him. Even when a particular blast almost grazed him, he didn’t jump away.

For a shadowhunter, that was… pretty neat.

Yeah, they made a pretty good team. Maybe it was the dancing.

By the time they were done, Alec’s blade was dripping with ichor, and the demons were all dead. They were in various states of decay, from corpses leaking ichor everywhere to mostly dust with a few black puddles. The smell was appalling, too. Honestly.

He heard Alec sheathe his blade, but ignored it in favor of snapping his fingers and turning off the music, pausing the lights. He walked forward, nudging one of the corpses with his boot, wrinkling his nose.

He looked up when Alec stepped closer, and felt the corner of his lips quirk up into a smile against his will. “So… you’re a shadowhunter?” he asked. He couldn’t help but be a little amused. He’d danced with the man thinking he was a werewolf or something, but honestly, he didn’t know how he’d missed it.

No, that wasn’t true. He’d missed it because Alexander had treated him with nothing but respect. And nervousness, because he apparently got flustered around cute boys. Which was cute.

Alec opened his mouth, then closed it again. He seemed to settle for nodding, looking unsure.

Magnus made a _hmm_ sound.

Alec shuffled his feet for a moment. “Uh, I can help clean up, if you want,” he said, gesturing towards the ichor and corpses.

Magnus shook his head, laughing softly. “It’s no trouble,” he said, waving a hand. It was nice of Alexander to offer, but Magnus was well-rested and far from burnt out. A simple cleaning spell would do the job easily. “I’ll take care of the rest later.”

“The rest” also included damage control– the mundanes would take care of themselves, just a few rumors and maybe a small newspaper article about robbers or pranksters or whatever excuse he thought of, and they would dismiss whatever they’d seen. Not having the Sight meant it would’ve been blurry and hard to define anyway. But the downworlders who had been there might have a few complaints– and god knows what the shadowhunters might do if they ended up intervening.

Magnus took a deep breath at the thought of the work he would have to do later. Not now, thankfully, it could wait until tomorrow. “Well,” he said. “As exhilarating as that was, I think I need a drink.”

With that, he headed behind the bar, rifling through the shelves.

Alexander stood awkwardly in the middle of the room, unsure as of what to do.

Magnus glanced over at him, holding up a very nice bottle of liquor. “Want any, Alexander?”

“Uh, sure.” he said.

“What’ll it be?” Magnus asked, tossing the bottle about. Rather impressively, he thought. He’d been practicing his bartending skills for a few years now, and he was getting better at. At least, that’s what he thought for about ten seconds, before the bottle promptly crashed to the floor and shattered into a million pieces. Magnus’s gaze dropped with it, and he was left staring at the pile of shards in a puddle of what was once some sort of fancy liquor, empty hand still raised.

“Hmm.” Magnus said, not looking up.

He distantly heard Alec make a choked sound, like he was holding back a laugh.

Magnus glanced up at him, mortified. He couldn’t help but think that, _okay, yeah,_ that was pretty funny. But it was also embarrassing. “Maybe something else, then,” he said sheepishly, cleaning up the mess effortlessly. “Appletini? Strawberry daquiri? Whiskey?”

Alexander walked to one of the barstools, slipping on. “Surprise me,” he said.

Magnus lit up. “Really?”

“Nothing too crazy,” Alexander said quickly. “But, uh, I’ll try something new?”

Magnus beamed at him. “I’ve got just the thing!”

He retrieved two glasses from behind the counter, then leant back, looking at the various things they had on tap. Alexander seemed the type to enjoy… maybe cider? (Hard cider, of course.)

He poured some into each glass, turning the tap off and placing it in front of Alec, setting the other aside and leaning against the counter.

Alec seemed to just stare at it for a second, before hesitantly picking it up and taking a small sip.

And promptly choking, coughing as he pulled the drink away from his lips.

“Are you alright?” Magnus asked, alarmed. Shit, Alec better not be allergic to apples–

“Sorry,” Alec said, still a little raspy. “That was just… more alcoholic than I anticipated.”

Shit. Right. He’d had a club soda earlier, hadn’t he?

“Don’t apologize,” Magnus said. “Do you want something non-alcoholic?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” Alec said. “It’s not like I’ve never had it before. I just wasn’t expecting it. It’s fine.”

Magnus had never liked the word _fine._ But he let it go, not wanting to push.

Alec took another sip. He didn’t cough this time, at least.

He looked up at Magnus, lips still on the drink.

Magnus cleared his throat, reaching for his own glass.

“What is this, anyway?” Alec hummed, drinking a little more.

“Hard cider,” Magnus answered, resisting the urge to make a pun. He shifted on his feet nervously.

It only took a few awkward minutes of small talk for them to really fall into an interesting conversation.

This was going better than he’d initially expected.

It was kind of funny. At the beginning of the night, he’d been so insistent on not taking time off. And now, here he was, putting off work to spend time with a cute boy.

And almost completely _platonically,_ too. They’d had the bar between them almost the entire time, and unless you counted how Alec’s gaze occasionally dropped to Magnus’s lips, there wasn’t much physical contact.

It would be frustrating if he didn’t honestly enjoy talking to Alec so much.

He’d knew a surprising amount about mundane culture– apparently mostly because of his siblings, although his knowledge of the more classical books was his own doing.

They didn't talk about anything very personal– although Alec talked about his siblings and Magnus told a few light-hearted stories from his past (such as the one with pirates)– but Magnus didn't really want to talk about his childhood or secondary gender (he hadn't told anyone but a very select few people he was an omega, and he certainly wasn't about to tell a stranger, no matter how sweet he was). 

But it doesn't really matter. Alec was interesting. The way he talked about his siblings so brightly was endearing, especially as the light in his eyes was almost as bright when he talked about his favorite authors.

And despite how adorable and hesitant he could be, Alec was far from shy. But he _was_ inexperienced. He didn’t really know what he was doing, but the second he figured something out, he was confident and skilled and _honestly,_ that shouldn’t be as hot as it was. Magnus always loved a competent, eager learner. ( _Calm down,_ he told himself, _and get your mind out of the gutter.)_

Flirting, for example. The first time Magnus really flirted with him over their drinks (in an empty club after a demon fight, Magnus had had stranger dates– not that this was a date), Alec had blushed and looked away. The second time, his lips had quirked. The third time, he hesitantly responded in kind. By the end of the night, he was surprisingly coy and _honestly,_ he made Magnus blush a few times.

Really, he wasn’t like any shadowhunter Magnus had ever met. He’d met a few half-way decent– okay, he could admit they were more than that– Nephilim, but Alec was… He was different.

He was genuinely kind-hearted, for one. He actually listened, he cared. It was nice. It was really nice.

(It helped that every time Alec laughed– that soft, quiet laugh, like he was used to suppressing it– Magnus got butterflies in his stomach. Fuck, Magnus hadn’t had butterflies in _centuries._ )

It had been after dark when Alec finally left. Magnus had offered to open him a portal, but Alec had given him an almost _shy_ smile and said he preferred to walk, and anyway, he didn’t want to trouble Magnus. (Magnus tried to say it wouldn’t be a bother, but Alec just shook his head. Really, he was sweet.)

And before Alec had left, he’d… asked for his number.

He looked a bit nervous, almost embarrassed, like he really wasn’t sure if Magnus would say yes.

Magnus, of course, _immediately_ said yes.

He took his offered phone, entering in his number (naming his contact Magnus <3). And when he handed it back– Alec turning to go with a farewell– Magnus very hesitantly leant forward and pressed a quick, chaste kiss to his cheek. “See you around, Alexander,” he said, hoping he didn’t sound too breathless, and let him go.

When he got inside, he couldn’t help let out a happy sigh. Maybe Catarina was right. He could take a few days off every once in a while.

 

 

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> when I was (re)writing the fight scene I listened to Man vs Machine by N3XTST3P (it was on the shadowhunters soundtrack) and holy shit, it so got me in the zone. like I really love that song and it’s perfect for a fight scene. especially in a club.

**Author's Note:**

> okay but when magnus drops that bottle… just the idea for this scene came to me completely randomly and honestly it’s just the most hilarious thing to me?? like I can actually picture it, in high definition and everything. 
> 
> and I feel like it’s very in character. to me, magnus is like a cat. half the time– actually, probably like eighty, ninety percent of the time– he’s super graceful and elegant. especially when dancing or fighting, especially when it really matters. the rest of the time, he can be very clumsy. usually when he’s nervous, drunk, or trying to impress someone. 
> 
>  
> 
> prompts are always welcome!  
> come shout at me on [tumblr](https://thesweetestpandemonium.tumblr.com/)”


End file.
